MoMA Art Lab

In this artfully playful app from the artfully dedicated folks at MOMA (The Museum of Modern Art), we learn about the work and processes of Henri Matisse, Elizabeth Murray, Jean (Hans) Arp, Jim Lambie, Brice Marden, and others. Underscoring the lessons in a very 21st century way, is the opportunity for ArtLab users to create art in the style of one of these greats. The app includes inventive tools to create a sound composition, a collage, a collaborative work (collaboration is all the rage these days), "draw" with scissors, create a shape poem and more. What the app is missing (as of this review period) was a simple and easy way to refresh or erase a single element. Even accomplished artists rarely get every brush stroke, line, or color right the first time or every time. Many don't even want to. Changing, editing, rethinking are all part of the creative process. We're confident the designers will "redo the undo" very soon.

The developers state: "The sharing function in this app, which permits the user to share artwork with MoMA, and with others by e-mail or Twitter, is turned off by default so that parents can decide whether to permit their child to share their artwork. Instructions for enabling sharing can be found in the Information/For Parents section of the app."

All in all, this is a wonderful way to introduce young learners to the masterful works of modern and contemporary art housed at MOMA. And if you can plan a visit to the museum before November 5, 2012, the exhibit Century of the Child: Growing by Design, 1900-2000 is one not to be missed.